Electric water heater



Oct, 14, 1941' J. A. DES ROSIERS ELECTRIC WATER HEAT-ER Filed Dec. 6, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 In ventm- 171 pas E; fe 72s A Horn 6;

1941- J. A. DES ROSIERS ELECTRIC WATER HEATER 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Dec. 6, 1940 Inventor A iiomey Patented Oct. 14, 1941 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ELECTRIC WATER HEATER John A. Des-Rosiers, Windsor, Ontario, Canada Application December 6, 1940, Serial No. 368,941

3 Claims.

My invention relates to electric water heaters of the general type forming the subject matter of my U. S. Patent No. 1,999,962, dated April 30, 1935, and over which the instant invention is designed as an improvement.

The principal object of my present invention is to provide, as compared with the heater of said patent, a simplified device, with a reduced number of parts, and one having a greater heating capacity in proportion to its size.

Another object is to provide for draining the heater more quickly and maintaining the discharge and inlet pipe submerged during heating of the water so that uniform expansion of the heater parts under the heating operation is assured to prevent cracking of the parts.

To the accomplishment of the above, and subordinate objects presently appearing, a preferred embodiment of my invention has been illustrated in the accompanying drawings, set forth in detail in the succeeding description, and defined in the claims appended hereto.

In said drawings:

Figure 1 is a view in top plan of the preferred embodiment of my invention,

Figure 2 is a View in vertical section taken on the line 22 of Figure 1,

Figure 3 is a view in transverse section taken on the line 33 of Figure 2,

Figure 4 is a fragmentary view partly in plan and partly in transverse section of the bottom of the casing,

Figure 5 is a View in vertical section taken on the line 55 of Figure 1, and

Figure 6 is a plan view of one of the resistance elements.

Referring to the drawings by numerals, my improved heater, in its preferred embodiment, comprises a preferably cylindrical casing I of suitable insulation material having a bottom 2 provided with a relatively small axial aperture 3 therein, an internal axial countersink 4 surrounding said aperture 3, and a plurality of relatively smaller apertures 5 in the bottom of said countersink grouped around the aperture 3 and forming drain vents for the casing.

A discharge pipe 6 is slidably fitted in the aperture 3 for vertical movement therein and forms an axial stem in the casing l for an annular disk valve 1 fitted thereon and suitably fixed thereto in said casing to close the counter-sink 4. A coil spring 8 sleeved onto the discharge pipe 6 intermediate the valve 1 and the bottom of the countersink 4 urges said valve and pipe upwardly. Normally the upper end of the discharge pipe 6 abuts a closure disk 9 of insulation material threaded into the top of casing l and whereby the open position of the valve 1 is established as slightly above the bottom 2.

Threaded, at its upper end, as at It, into the closure disk 9 to depend therefrom in laterally offset relation to the discharge pipe 6 is an inlet pipe ll terminating a suitable distance above the valve 1.

A control cock [2 is threaded into the upper end of the inlet pipe ll, said cock being of the type having a threaded upstanding nipple I3 for connection to the usual faucet of a domestic water supply line, not shown.

A heating unit I5 is provided in the casing I comprising a plurality of resistance elements in the form of disks of suitable conductive material 16, superposed in vertically spaced relation concentrically in the casing I, the upper and lower disks being suitably spaced from the closure disks 9 and the bottom 2, respectively, and the edges of said disks clearing the inner wall of said casing. Axial apertures I! in said disks 1 6 provide for the extension of the discharge pipe through said unit l5 with a suitable clearance, and similar apertures IS in said disks laterally offset from the axis of the same provide for the inlet pipe ll similarly extending through said unit.

The disks iii are suspended in the casing I by a pair of terminal rods l9 depending from the cover disk 9 into the casing l at the side thereof opposite that at which the inlet pipe II is located. The rods [9 extend through suitable apertures 20 in the disks 16, side by side and through annular washers 2! of insulation material spacing said disks apart. Suitable collars 22 on the rods I9 clamp the washers 2| and disks 1% together. Alternate washers 21 extend through alternate disks [6, as at 23, to insulate said alternate disks from the rods 19, the arrangement being such that each disk i6 is insulated from one rod l9 and is in direct contact with the other rods, the disks alternating in contact with the pairs of rods, as best shown in Figure 5. The rods l9 are extended through insulation plugs 24 threaded into the cover disk 9 and are provided with collars 25 engaging the tops of said plugs to suspend said rods in the plugs with their upper ends above the latter for connection to the house current, not shown. It will be understood that as in the heater of my patent, supra, alternate disks 1% are of opposite polarity.

A suitable housing 26 on top of the closure disk 9 encloses the upper ends of said rods 19 and is secured to said disk by a suitably attached lateral flange 27 apertured for the extension of the control cock I2 therethrough whereby said housing is clamped to said disk 9 by said control cock. One side of the housing 26 is apertured, as at 28, for the extension of suitable leads 29 from the house circuit into said housing and said housing is provided with a suitably attached cover flap 39 for access to terminal clips, as at 3 I for attaching the leads to the upper ends of said rods I9.

In the operation of the described heater, as water under pressure is introduced into the casing I from the before mentioned faucet of the water supply line, through the inlet pipe II, the

pressure of such water in the casing I depresses the valve I in opposition to the spring 8 to close the countersink A and hence the drain vents 5. Depression of the valve I lowers the upper end of the discharge pipe 6 from the closure disk 9 thereby opening said pipe at its top. As the water level rises in said casing I, the electric current passes therethrough from one terminal rod I9 to the other by way of the disks I6, as will be clear, thus completing circuit through said disks and energizing the latter for heating. When the heated water rises to the level of the top of the discharge pipe 6 it discharges downwardly therethrough. By closing cock I2 the supply in the casing I may be cut off thereby relieving the pressure in said casing I. As soon as pressure in the casing I is thus relieved, the spring 8 .acts to open valve I and the water drains out of casing I by way of vents 5. In this connection, it should be explained, that the countersink 4 acts as a sump for draining the casing I dry. As soon as the level of the water falls below the heating unit I5 it becomes disabled,

or ineifective, as will be clear. The water may be heated to any desired temperature by gaging the amount passing therethrough.

By the described arrangement of the inlet pipe II and lowering the upper end of the discharge pipe 6 said pipes are both completely submerged in the water during heating and all parts of the device are heated uniformly, thereby avoiding unequal expansion, and contraction, and cracking of the parts.

The foregoing will, it is believed, suflice to impart a clear understanding of my invention Without further explanation.

Manifestly the invention as described, is susceptible of modification without departing from the inventive concept, and right is herein reserved to such modifications as fall within the scope of the subjoined claims.

What I claim isl. A water heater for attachment to the faucet of a source of supply comprising a container for the water having a central aperture in the bottom thereof and a plurality of drain apertures in said bottom grouped around said central aperture, a detachable closure for said container, a water inlet pipe depending from said closure into acts/744 said container at one side thereof and terminating in spaced relation to said bottom to fill said container'and be submerged in the Water during heating of the latter, a discharge in said casing depending out of the same by way of said central aperture and vertically slidable in the latter for downward movement to submerge the upper end thereof in the water, a valve member constructed and arranged to close said drain apertures and move said discharge pipe downwardly and operative by the pressure of Water in said casing, and an electrical heating unit suspended from said closure in said casing.

2. A water heater for attachment to the faucet of a source of supply comprising a container for the water having a central aperture in the bottom thereof and a plurality of drain apertures in said bottom grouped around said central aperture, a detachable closure for said container, a Water inlet pipe depending from said closure into said container at one side thereof and terminating in spaced relation to said bottom to fill said container and be submerged in the water during heating of the latter, a discharge in said casing depending out of the same by Way of said central aperture and vertically slidable in the latter for downward movement to submerge the upper end thereof in the Water, a valve member constructed and arranged to close said drain apertures and move said discharge pipe downwardly and operative by the pressure of water in said casing, and an electrical heating unit suspended from said closure in said casing and comprising a plurality of superposed resistance disks apertured for the extension of said pipes therethrough. V

3. A water heater for attachment to the faucet of a source of supply comprising a container for the water having a central aperture in the bottom thereof and a plurality of drain apertures in said bottom grouped around said central aperture, a detachable closure for said container, a water inlet pipe depending from said closure into said container at one side thereof and terminating in spaced relation to said bottom to fill said container and be submerged in the water during heating of the latter, a discharge in said casing depending out of the same by way of said central aperture and vertically slidable in the latter for downward movement to submerge the upper end thereof in the water, a valve member constructed and arranged to close said drain apertures and move said discharge pipe downwardly and operative by the pressure of water in said casing, and an electrical heating unit suspended from said closure in said casing, said valve member being spring pressed for opening movement and operatively connected to said discharge pipe to move the same upwardly under opening movement. 7

JOHN A. DES ROSIERS. 

